Adam Milne is set play in the Black Caps' second T20 World Cup clash after being overlooked by selectors. Photo / Photosport
Adam Milne is set play in the Black Caps' second T20 World Cup clash after being overlooked by selectors. Photo / Photosport
When Adam Milne walks onto the field against India on Monday, the Black Caps selectors will be hoping he proves them wrong.
Milne is set to be named in the Black Caps' starting XI for their second match of the Twenty20 World Cup, receiving belated clearance to join the 15-mansquad after Lockie Ferguson was ruled out of the tournament with a calf tear suffered a day before their opener against Pakistan.
It shouldn't have required an injury for Milne to make the 15, with the speedster in the midst of a stellar year across various T20 leagues, one that deserved inclusion over at least Kyle Jamieson, if not also Tim Southee and Trent Boult.
Ferguson's misfortune means things have ultimately worked out for Milne, but not before missing a crucial match against Pakistan which he feels he could have contributed in.
"If you look at the way the pitch played, and how it played throughout the IPL, the faster guys have been able to hit the wicket hard and create some uneven bounce, which has caused some problems for the batters.
"Haris Rauf was similar, he hit the wicket hard and caused some inconsistent bounce and was able to pick up wickets – so I think I would have been able to add something to the team."
Even despite the initial selectorial snub, Milne still could have played against Pakistan were it not for the International Cricket Council dragging their heels on ratifying him as a replacement for Ferguson.
Adam Milne in action against Bangladesh in April. Photo / Photosport
Milne, who felt for Ferguson having been in a similar position when he was ruled out of the 2015 ODI World Cup after the quarter-finals, initially thought he would play against Pakistan, only to wake from a nap to find out he was still sidelined.
"It was a bit of a rollercoaster ride the other day with Lockie going down and being told 'you're in', and then a few things happening and you're not in.
"It was a decent drive to the ground – 60 minutes – so I had a little bit of a nap, so I think there might have been some things going on behind the scenes while I was having a snooze.
"The good thing was I was already part of the group [as 16th man injury cover] so it's exciting to now have the opportunity to potentially play some games in the World Cup and hopefully make a difference."
By doing so, he could force the selectors to put their hands up and admit a mistake.
"I'd be lying if it said I wasn't disappointed to make the 15 after performing pretty well, but you've got to respect the decisions the coaching staff and selectors have made. Thankfully it's all sort of worked out in the end but you've just go to keep going on and keep trying to perform to your best and prove to the coaches and selectors that you are good enough to be in this position now.
"At the time they named it, they didn't believe I'd played a consistent amount of cricket internationally, which I guess I hadn't, I'd only played those two Bangladesh games [in March and April], and then I guess the different types of cricketers they were going for when they named the team.
"I definitely feel like this is the best period of cricket I've had in a long time. I'd love to make the most of it and continue to use this period to develop and perform really well at a high level."
If Milne can help push the Black Caps into the semifinals, then the selectors will be more than happy to admit they were wrong.
